What Men Secretly Love About Sex And the City

Most guys love to hate on SATC, but we found out the truth: they admire Samantha's sexual bravado and Carrie's clever puns almost as much as we do. We asked guys (yes, straight ones) what turned them on to the hit show, so the next time he rolls his eyes when a rerun comes on, you know he's faking it.

"SATC is really good at teaching guys what NOT to do. The most useful piece of advice I saw was when Carrie slept with some guy for a one-night stand. She was clearly unsatisfied with his performance in bed, and compared him to a 'jack rabbit' because he had short quick thrusts that didn't amount to much. It was surprisingly instructive to see." —Phil, 28

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

"I actually love the show and am not afraid to tell people. I think the dialogue is the best part. One of my favorite scenes was when Samantha threw the lemons at the young chicks sleeping with her 'man' at his posh house in the Hamptons. You wouldn't see such ballsiness anywhere else." —Dima, 25

"I was in high school when new episodes still aired, and one night, my parents and I came upon SATC when looking for something to watch on TV. None of us knew what it was and within minutes, Samantha was butt naked and riding some guy. Her orgasms seriously echoed throughout my house. I've never felt more awkward around my parents — so much so that even the 'the talk' I had with my dad days later felt like a piece of cake." —Daniel, 22

"I never knew how much women talk about sex, and it's such a turn-on to know that they crave it as much as men do. I also like Samantha, who's always having sex and then sharing the stories of who and when and what she did last night." —Jeff, 25

"This may sound crude, but I like the show for its nudity. I remember being 16 and seeing a scene where it panned across a room with some naked guy going at it in missionary. It was as close to porn as I was going to get." —Zach, 24

"I don't like watching SATC by myself, but I love watching it with my girlfriend. I look at her reaction to the different scenarios, like Aidan having drinks with a hot female bartender on 'guys night' or Charlotte's bald husband taking her to get Tasti-D. It's an easy way to figure out what she wants me to do — and not do — in the relationship. If she awws, I take note. And if she says something like, 'I can't believe him!', I file that away too." —Kristopher, 32

"I'll never forget the funky spunk episode where Samantha gave a blow job and it didn't taste good. After that, I learned it's very important that what you eat is healthy, like the right vegetables and fruits. I haven't had any complaints since." —Frank, 27

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

"I watch SATC for the same reason I read Cosmo, actually — to gain insight into the other side. It's like being invited to a secret meeting where women reveal what they really think about what guys do. Also, I know what a Manolo Blahnik is now, so I can nod knowingly when my girlfriend mentions them instead of just staring blankly ahead." —Dan, 24

"Unlike other girly shows, the male characters are believable — even the ones that are cast as a sort of "ideal" like Big have hidden flaws, like most guys have, so you can relate to them. They're the type of men that guys would want to be." —Jeremy, 27

"It's a guilty pleasure to see dating from the woman's side, even if some of the drama seems totally preventable. For example, the show explains my girlfriend's irrational behavior as just something women do sometimes. If she has a problem, she has to tell everyone but me and make me figure it out like we're playing Clue. The same thing happens on the show. Carrie can tell all of the other women at brunch her issue for 25 minutes of screen time before she finally gets around to telling Big." —Mitch, 23

"The show was refreshing because it portrayed some of the shallow ways girls think about guys. The girls in SATC would more or less decide how much they liked a new guy from the get-go. It was cool to see a TV show that kind of said: 'Look, in their own way, and not because they are being naive, girls are quick to judge too.'" —David, 24

"How can you not like solid relationship drama cut with soft-core porn?" —Sam, 22

A Part of Hearst Digital Media
Cosmopolitan participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.